Article

Juri P. Kurhinen, Dr. Sc., Professor, University of Helsinki; Leading Researcher of the Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences; e-mail: kurhinenj@gmail.com
Vladimir N. Bolshakov, Institute of ecology of plants and animals Ural Branch of RAS, 620144, Russia, Ekaterinburg, 8th March St., 202; e-mail: common@ipae.uran.ru
Svetlana N. Bondarchuk, Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Russia, Primorsky Krai, settlement Terney; e-mail: bonsal@mail.ru
Elena V. Vargot, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Mordovia State Nature Reserve named after P. G. Smidovich; Senior Researcher of National park «Smolny»; Docent of the Department of Botany, Physiology and Ecology of the National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University; e-mail: vargot@yandex.ru
Sergey N. Gashev, Dr. Sc., Prof., Tymen State University, Russia, Tyumen; e-mail: gsn-61@mail.ru
Elena A. Gorbunova, Altaisky State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Russia, Gorno-Altaisk; e-mail: gorbunova-altai@mail.ru
Evgeniy S. Zadiraka, Independent Researcher, Russia, Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk; e-mail: zadiraka_evgenii@mail.ru
Ernest V. Ivanter, Dr. Sc., Petrozavodsk State University, 185910, Russia, Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk; e-mail: ivanter@petrgu.ru
Sergey K. Kochanov, Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Centre Ural Branch of RAS, Russia, Syktyvkar; e-mail: kochanov@ib.komisc.ru
Elena V. Kulebyakina, Vodlozersky National Park, Russia, Republic of Karelia; e-mail: cyta@rambler.ru
Viktor N. Mamontov, Vodlozersky National Park, Russia, Republic of Karelia; e-mail: mamont1965@list.ru
Artur V. Meydus, Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, 660028, Russia, Krasnoyarsky Krai, Krasnoyarsk; e-mail: meidus@bk.ru
Evgenia A. Muravskaya, Independent Researcher, Russia, Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk; e-mail: evgeniya_arinich@mail.ru
Dmitriy S. Nizovtsev, Tymen State University, Russia Tyumen; e-mail: gsn-61@mail.ru
Tatyana E. Pavlyushchik, Researcher, Laboratory of Ornithology, Scientific-Practical Center of Biological Resources, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Republic of Belarus, Minsk; e-mail: tatiana.pavlushchick@gmail.com
Valdis Pilats, Nature Conservation Agency of Latvia, Latvia, Sigulda; e-mail: valdis.pilats@daba.gov.lv
Andrey V. Sivkov, Pinega State Nature Reserve, Russia, Arkhangelsk region, Pinega; e-mail: pinzapno@mail.ru
Natalja S. Sikkilya, Kostomukshsky State Nature Reserve, Russia, Republic of Karelia, Kostomuksha; e-mail: natik.zam@gmail.com
Leonid V. Simakin, Pechora-Ilych State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Russia, Republic of Komi, settlement Yaksha; e-mail: pechilzap@mail.ru
Evgeniy N. Smirnov, Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Russia, Primorsky Krai, settlement Terney.
Uudo Timm, Estonian Environment Agency, Estonia, Tallin; e-mail: Uudo.Timm@envir.ee
Ilpo K. Hanski, University of Helsinki, Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland; e-mail: ilpo.hanski@helsinki.fi

Kurhinen Ju.P., Bolshakov V.N., Bondarchuk S.N., Vargot E.V., Gashev S.N., Gorbunova E.A., Zadiraka E.S., Ivanter E.V., Kochanov S.K., Kulebyakina E.V., Mamontov V.N., Meydus A.V., Muravskaya E.A., Nizovtsev D.S., Pavlyushchik T.E., Pilats V., Sivkov A.V., Sikkilya N.S., Simakin L.V., Smirnov E.N., Timm U., Hanski I.K. 2016. Dynamics of regional distribution and ecology investigation of rare mammals of taiga Eurasia (case study of flying squirrel Pteromys volans, Rodentia, Pteromyidae). Nature Conservation Research 1(3): 78–84. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2016.030

This study of the spatial distribution and ecology of the flying squirrel during the turn of the 20th century provides a description of new methods and techniques for detecting and accounting flying squirrels in the forest zone of Eurasia. The flying squirrel population area covers the territory of 61 regions of Russia, including Kamchatsky Krai and Chukotka Autonomous District. The number of flying squirrels in Karelia especially to the east – in the Arkhangelsk region and Western Siberia – significantly exceeds that of Finland, but considerable spatial variability in the number is obvious through all the regions: there are areas where this animal is quite abundant, or inhabits all the territory rather evenly, and there are areas where it is completely absent in vast territories even with seemingly favourable conditions. The flying squirrel is quite difficult to study and the reasons of its absence in obviously favourable areas are still to be explained. Some reasons are: the specificity of favourable landscape, forest coverage pattern, trophic relationships with predators and genetic aspect. A number of hypotheses are supposed to be tested in the nearest future.

accounting, flying squirrel, forest zone, home range, spatial distribution

Received: 30.09.2016

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